The Horror of Being Emily serves as a creative outlet for my love for all things scary and spooky. I hope that through sharing news, recommendations, and opinions I can spread awareness for talented artists and vendors, promote Halloween, and empower others to join the Halloween & horror community. There are many amazing blogs covering these topics already, so what makes my perspective different or suggestions credible? I am fortunate to have experienced the Halloween & horror industry as both a fan and a professional. I really do add spookiness to all aspects of my life! So to help you understand my perspective on this interesting world, here is my history of Halloween & Horror:
Every child loves Halloween, but my parents went above and beyond to foster my love for the holiday and all the creativity that comes from it. From my first Halloween, my Mom created intricate handmade Halloween costumes and accessories. (She would later become a professional costumer & seamstress.)
She took inspiration from popular costumes and my interests over the years to craft unique costumes with attention to detail. When I was a witch as a toddler, she made a matching handmade doll for me to carry. When I couldn’t decide whether to be Daisy Duck or a princess, the Princess Daisy Duck costume was born.
The process to create these costumes took weeks, sometimes months. She would start with sketches, create a mock-up, and then use fabric, foam, and wire to make costumes that grew more elaborate each year. No idea was too silly or out of reach – although some took more planning and interpretations than others. Even peculiar requests like being our family’s black cat, Colette Uno Rua (a.k.a. “Pookie”), resulted in a fantastic giant cat costume.
These early lessons not only gave me basic sewing skills that continue to assist me in my creative efforts, but also taught me how to look at things a different way. And come up with unique solutions on a budget!
My Dad is a life-long horror fan and couldn’t wait to pass along that love as soon as I could watch movies & tv. Very early on he introduced me to the best monster movies ever made: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and Godzilla. I knew all their characteristics and weaknesses by heart in case I ever met one out in the field. My Dad and I watched horror movies on broadcast tv, VHS, and even old 8mm film prints on a dusty old projector.
By the time I was four, I had rented Chopper Chicks in Zombietown so many times from our local video rental shop, my Dad decided to just start buying movies to save money. Thus our horror, sci-fi, and fantasy film collection began. We bought all sorts of spooky films beginning with VHS tape and transitioning to DVDs and Blu-rays as technology progressed.
As of March 2021, our main collection is nearing 3,000 titles. I have my own, 600+ film collection (with many duplicates) as well, since it is hard to borrow films when I live across the country.
As I grew older my Dad and I started to go to every horror movie convention within 8 hours of Western New York and he introduced me to filmmakers, makeup artists, and actors. He encouraged me to make my own films, enroll in afterschool writing courses, and pursue art.
When I was about six years old, I wanted a swing set – one of those rickety PVC pipe swings with a metal slide attached. So my dad went above and beyond to make something wonderful. He researched all the playgrounds in Western New York, had me describe my fantasy play area, and then built me a two-story castle. It contained swings, a curly slide, tunnels, a climbing net, a playhouse, puppet theater, and working drawbridge. Where others may have taken the easy route, my Dad created an extraordinary world for the imagination to thrive. That experience transformed my understanding of what was possible. It showed me that we can make the world a fantastic place through hard work and creativity.
My father also taught me about building fantastic places through my favorite part of the Halloween industry – haunted houses. I cut my teeth on haunted attractions with The Haunted Catacombs in Buffalo, New York and a variety of year-round horror wax museums in Niagara Falls, Canada. When available we also took lights-on tours to see how the monsters were made and the sets constructed. Then, each year I could choose one haunt within a 7-8 hour drive to visit. We traveled to the Eastern State Penitentiary, Spooky World (Foxboro, Massachusetts), haunted hayrides in Canada, and more. I am thankful we were able to see so many unique styles of haunts and now classic attractions. From professional to home haunts, there was always something to learn and inspiration for future projects.
I am forever grateful for the help and guidance of my professors, and their patience as I turned in project after project with odd themes and characters – everything from monsters under the bed to a peculiarly possessed chair. Film school is not essential to becoming a filmmaker, but for me this opportunity helped me to refine my craft and give me the scholarly tools to add depth and meaning to my works.
My history of Halloween & horror – especially these early years – has shaped my approach to the holiday & genre. I will always associate Halloween and horror with creativity, family, and endless possibilities. I create this blog to highlight news, events, and more that I find noteworthy. Having spent my entire life researching, enjoying, and participating in these areas, I strive to sift through the enormous amount of information and content out there so you can find some of the best in one place: TheHorrorOfBeingEmily.com.
Stay spooky!
Emily Louise Rua on IMDB
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Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes
Welcome to my home of all things horror & Halloween! The Horror of Being Emily showcases resources, creative projects, small businesses, and more related to my weird and wonderful Halloween & horror obsession.
